NASA, the agency that has spent the last fifty years assuring us the Moon is not made of cheese, is now worried about something far less tasty: dust. Not just any dust either, but vintage 1969 lunar dust that has been untouched since Neil Armstrong went for a small stroll with giant implications. The concern came to light in a report on the potential hazards posed by a new landing near the original Apollo 11 site, including the chance of disturbing not only physical relics but also all that fine, clingy moon powder, which has stubbornly refused to obey conventional sweeping etiquette.
According to a newly released analysis, kicking up the ancient dust could damage artifacts, impede scientific equipment and incidentally obscure historic footprints which, up to now, have been more intact than most long-term marriages. These iconic impressions, once immortalized in grainy black and white television footage, are technically protected under a NASA-guided preservation policy that is heavy on caution and light on spontaneity. So while astronauts may soon return to explore the lunar surface, they may also be required to tiptoe around locations like Armstrong’s left boot once did, perhaps carrying a ceremonial doormat just to be safe.
The Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon by the late 2020s, is advancing rapidly, although in true governmental form “rapidly” may be defined as “before your grandchildren graduate.” However, as planning accelerates, so too does the nervous tapping from preservationists concerned that a badly parked lunar lander might accidentally erase history, or at the very least cause footprints and moon memorabilia to end up in a cosmic dust storm resembling a poorly handled vacuum disaster.
NASA is taking the concerns seriously, which is to say it is considering guidelines that would prevent spacecraft from getting too cozy with the Apollo landing sites. The space agency even published a document devoted entirely to recommendations for visiting the Moon with the grace and subtlety of a polite houseguest rather than a planetary bulldozer. If followed, these measures would ensure that no one goes full history-wrecker just because they wanted a better selfie angle with the American flag that is currently sun-bleached into beige ambiguity.
So while the return to the Moon carries scientific promise and renewed excitement, it also brings a gentle reminder that sometimes the hardest part of going forward is being careful where you step.
Because on the Moon, one small misstep could mean one giant oops for mankind.